Because times are tough economically, many families have decided not to upgrade their home because don’t have the finances to accomplish this. If you’re in that same financial state, you can rest easy that you can make your home look like new with some key improvements and not having to spend tons of money.

Stretching Your Remodeling Dollar

Begin with basics when contemplating a remodel. Look at the ceilings, walls, and floors first. This is the first step in your remodel. If you have an acoustic ceiling, consider either repainting it a bright white or hiring someone to remove and replace it it with a smooth pattern. Don’t forget to apply a thick primer before your paint coat! Next, look at the walls and consider a neutral color that will go with a brighter and more natural mood and will go with any designs and decorations. Fix any holes and marks in your walls and doors so your home looks fresh and refinished. Next, continue with the floor covering: are the flooring and baseboards in fair condition? If so, re-paint the baseboards a nice white color to make everything look brand-new again. If you plan to remove and replace the floors, consider ceramic tiles, because they are inexpensive per square foot and last much longer than carpet does. If you will be putting carpet in, choose a dense pile that is somewhere between brown and beige so that marks from food and drinks won’t show much and the carpet will resist crushing for a long time.

Making Your Main Rooms Shine

Modernizing your bathrooms and kitchen are the smartest upgrades you can put into your living quarters. If the cabinetry is in good structural shape, consider either restaining the existing cabinets or buying new doors. If you will be re-facing them, get a good hammer drill and detach the hinges and handles from the cabinet doors to free them. If needed, new doors can be purchased from your local home improvement store. For bigger savings, re-stain your own doors. Again, detach the doors from the cabinets and then brush on a paint remover to the existing finish and scrape it off with a special scraper made from hard plastic just for this purpose. Once all of the finish has been removed, sand the cabinets the beginning time with a sander using medium-grade sandpaper. A final sanding should be performed last with a fine-grade sandpaper after that. Rub the cabinets with a cloth to remove the dust and then apply a wood conditioner to the cabinets. Finally, stain or paint the wood and top it off with 2-3 clear coats to protect the finished product from exposure to moisture.

Furniture Improvement

Modernizing your furniture and home décor is an easy and effective way to make your surroundings look like new. You can find great deals at estate sales, second-hand shops, or on the Web which will save money. For even increased savings, make furniture pieces by hand. You can make a unique headboard, for example, with nothing more than two over-sized splindles or posts of wood, a lathe (you can lease this from someone), and a large rectangle of board made of wood. Cover the wood center portion with some batting, fabric, and decorative upholstery tacks for a new headboard that is eye-catching!

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve recently moved into a home that needs TLC or if it’s your existing house. Either way, these unique ideas for getting the best-looking house will help your living quarters look like new without spending all of your savings in the process.

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